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Czechia’s direct state budget spending linked to the war in Ukraine fell last year to 15.1 billion crowns, down by 2.1 billion crowns year-on-year, according to the government’s final state budget account. The largest single item was humanitarian assistance, at 8.8 billion crowns. However, the government says the full fiscal impact is harder to measure, as tax data does not identify refugees individually. The number of Ukrainian workers in Czechia rose by 39,000 to 325,000 last year. Previous estimates suggested Ukrainian refugees paid 23.2 billion crowns in taxes and social contributions in the first three quarters of 2024 alone.

Around 2,000 people gathered in Pohořelice on Saturday to take part in the March of Reconciliation to Brno, commemorating the forced expulsion of ethnic Germans from the city in 1945. This year’s event is closely linked to the Sudeten German congress, which is being held in Brno for the first time in its 76-year history at the invitation of the organisers of the Meeting Brno festival. Germany’s interior minister praised efforts at Czech-German reconciliation. The original expulsion, shortly after World War II, forced some 19,500 Germans out of Brno; about 1,700 are believed to have died, though some Sudeten German historians give higher figures. More than 320,000 people in wartime Czechoslovakia died during the Nazi occupation.

The Czech state is considering selling Explosia, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said on Friday after visiting the Pardubice-based producer of explosives and ammunition.

Babiš said interest in the company had been expressed by France through President Emmanuel Macron, as well as by other European firms. According to the prime minister, Explosia has seen a sharp rise in revenues in recent years.

Babiš said he would personally support a sale if the conditions were favourable for the Czech state and preserved the company’s ties with the Czech army. He added that proceeds from any future deal could potentially be used for defence investments linked to Czechia’s NATO commitments.

The first direct flight from Philadelphia landed at Václav Havel Airport Prague on Friday, as American Airlines resumed the route after a break of more than six years caused by the Covid pandemic.

On the occasion of the renewed connection, Finance Minister Alena Schillerová said Czechia now wants to secure more direct long-haul routes from Prague, including to Shanghai and Delhi. She said expanding intercontinental connections is one of the government’s priorities as the sole shareholder of Prague Airport.

The Philadelphia route is currently scheduled to operate until October 5. Prague Airport expects more than 57,000 passengers to use the connection during this year’s summer season.